BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/04/2008

Brussles Again Calls On Minsk To Release Political Prisoners

The European Council and the European Commission have called for the "unconditional release of all political prisoners" in Belarus, adding that such a move might prompt a review of sanctions against Belarus's officials, Belapan reported on April 8. The release of political prisoners "would provide for a possibility to review the restrictive measures in place against certain officials of Belarus, and to enable the EU to progressively re-engage with Belarus, in connection with further steps by Belarus in that direction," the EU bodies said in a joint statement. The statement simultaneously welcomes the release in recent months of "five of the six internationally recognized political prisoners in Belarus." There are currently 41 people on the EU's list of Belarusian officials subject to travel bans and frozen assets (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 8, 2008). JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/04/3-cee/cee-090408.asp

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